The MONSTER GARAGE GYM/MAROSCHER COACHING LOG is a weekly Coaching Log by MGG owner, 2-Time WPC World Powerlifting Champion, Eric Maroscher, and is one of the Featured Coaching Logs at EliteFTS.
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Monster Garage Gym/Maroscher Coaching Log: (Log number LXXXVII). 5 HUGE STRONGMAN TIPS Part IV.

NEW MGG COACHING LOG POSTED HERE EVERY WEEKEND!!!!
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5 ADDITIONAL HUGE STRONGMAN TIPS, Part IV in this IV Part Series!!!!!

This coaching log is PART IV of a IV part series where I have invited Pro-Strongwoman Kristin Johnson of the MONSTER GARAGE GYM to share with your via EliteFTS, her TOP 20 HUGE STRONGMAN TIPS. Part I, Part II and Part III of this series can be found right here: https://www.elitefts.com/coaching-logs/5-huge-strongman-tips-part-i-hd-videos-included/
https://www.elitefts.com/coaching-logs/5-huge-strongman-tips-part-ii-hd-videos-included/
https://www.elitefts.com/coaching-logs/part-iii-5-more-huge-strongman-tips-includes-hd-strongman-footage/

MGG Kristing Pro Card Strongman14184300_10210289735466957_5472496051076647656_nMGG Kristing Pro Card Strongman
Fun after the meet with Pro Strongman middle weights: Dani Schwalbe (left), Kristin Johnson (center), Liefia Ingalls (right). Photo courtesy of: Liefia Ingalls

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Each week of this four part series has highlighted 5 HUGE STRONGMAN TIPS that both Kristin and I hope will help you in your training as a strongman competitor, a powerlifter who incorporates strongman into his/her training, or any strength athlete who sees the value of functional strength as it relates to their own strength and power goals.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdjUm43wY6E]

This, PART IV of IV begins with a quick reiteration of of what got us here, then dives right into Kristin’s 5 ADDITIONAL AND FINAL, HUGE STRONGMAN TIPS. *If you have not looked at Part I, Part II and Part III stop right here, and click the links above to catch up. If you already have, you can re-read or by-pass the reiteration (in bold below) and go right to Kristin’s portion of the log. As I mentioned in PART I, PART II and PART III, Kristin is our guest log author for this four part series and we feel this will be of great insight and benefit to you.

Reiteration:
The family of Strongman competitors is a close knit group. These individuals are a kindred spirit who cheer one another on during competition, pick one another up in defeat and encourage and motivate one another during training.

Within this Strongman group is an even smaller group, a sub-culture of a sub-culture. This group are the Strongman athletes who have attained their pro-card, and compete within this smaller group for pride, self-fulfillment, and as they are pro, maybe even for a little bit of cash. Kristin Johnson of the MONSTER GARAGE GYM is one of the newest members to this group, the professional branch off of the Strongman strength tree.

Most recently, Kristin Johnson was known as the #5 ranked women’s amateur strongman in the middleweight division. This was a label she earned at the 2016 Arnold Expo. Prior to that, Kristin was the NAS Kentucky State and NAS Illinois State champion strongman in her division. As a competitive powerlifter Kristin has pressed over 300LBS RAW and 450LBS (shirt) also at a bdw of 181lBS and finds herself routinely in the TOP five and TOP 10 rankings world-wide in her division as a powerlifter as well.

With regard to Strongman, it no secret that reaching the professional level in the strongman game is a huge personal benchmark, one that the majority of strongman competitors would love to reach, but only the smallest of % actually achieve this pinnacle of success.

As EliteFTS and MONSTER GARAGE GYM are about Live, Learn and Pass on, this coaching log is PART IV of IV as we want to take advantage of what Kristin has achieved through her hard work and partnering with some of the sports best teachers in an effort to provide those striving for this elusive card to learn from one of the true up-and-comers in the world of strongman.

So, at this time, I am going to turn over the keyboard to Kristin, as she will be doing the heavy lifting (pun intended) in this coaching log to share with you, the final 5 HUGE STRONGMAN TIPS!!!!

These are 5 HUGE STRONGMAN TIPS (a total of 20 over this IV part series) that have served her well as she set her sites on, created a plan for, executed the plan for and achieved the goal of becoming a pro-card carrying Strongman competitor.

So, as they say, without further ado, I present your coach for this series (Part IV of IV) of EliteFTS/MONSTER GARAGE GYM coaching logs….Kristin Johnson…….

5. Be selfish

At this point in the game, it's time to focus on you. Focus on where you're going and how you're going to get there, specifically in contest prep. There will be times when your friends are going out, on a Friday night, but you know you have event training in the morning. If your friends are truly your friends, they'll understand why you're passing and say, "maybe next time." Married, in a relationship or dating? Be upfront and honest about your commitment to yourself and your goals, and communicate that there will be times when you'll have to pass on date night. There will be nights when you're in bed early, when you'll be eating the same meals you've been prepping for weeks on end and not ordering pizza, no matter how much you want it.
If you're with someone that truly cares about you and your passion, they'll understand and support you and your goals. Have someone to food prep with you? Awesome! Have someone to food prep for you? Keep 'em! It's a blessing to find those people that are able to understand the mindset of a pro-level strength athlete and everything that comes along with it!

4. Get a coach

Years and years of training and competing will not teach you everything there is to know. Working with a coach was probably the best choice I made when I really started competing at the higher-level shows. If you're not constantly learning, your mind is stagnant, meaning your training will be too. Be sure to do your research before hiring a coach! There are hundreds, if not thousands of people, around the world, taking advantage of newer athletes in the sport. Ask questions! The only way to learn about the coach you're interested in is to ask loads of questions! How long have they been in the sport? What's they're training philosophy? Are they life-long learners as well? Ensuring to continuously research the most effective way to train, as well as recover? Are they available to coach in-person? Last but not least, what are YOU getting out of it?

3. Listen to your coach

This one is easy. Once you've hired a coach, LISTEN TO YOUR COACH. If you change your programming, just because you don't like it, you might as well not even have a coach. Not liking something and physically not being able to do something are two totally different things. Have a 225 axle clean programmed, but you've only done 135 before? Communicate! Without communication, your coach will assume you've completed that training session as programmed and continue to build on it!

2. Be resilient

"It ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!" Sylvester Stallone, Rocky Balboa

You will not win every competition, you might get injured, you will have bad days. Period. There's more to being a Strongman athlete than just the physical aspect. Having fortitude, to continue pursuing your goals, while celebrating the success of others, isn't only a remarkable quality, it's necessary to fill the shoes of a pro-level athlete.

1. Educate

That kid you see staring at you in the gym? Don't snap off, let him watch, as he might be replicating what you're doing. The guy that asks the same five questions about lifting, every week? Don't get frustrated,
answer with patience and kindness, he's asking you for a reason. The woman that just wants to do cardio because she's too intimidated to do anything else? Take a few minutes and teach her a few basics!

"In order to be a teacher, you've got to be a student first." Unknown

-Pro Strongwoman Kristin Johnson

You can follow Kristin Johnson’s strongman journey on your IG page: @thekristinj

Ever onward. Eric Maroscher: Monster Garage Gym

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You can find ALL of the prior EliteFTS/Maroscher Coaching Logs/articles at this link: https://www.elitefts.com/author/eric-maroscher/

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